This is a dream of an old house to me, like something from a childhood nursery rhyme. In its abandoned state, it’s still full of charm and intrigue. I imagine its days are numbered but wouldn’t it be nice if someone could save it?
In form it appears to be a central hallway cottage, with an overall effect of the Folk Victorian style that was ubiquitous in Georgia in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. What makes this one special, as you can see, is the small vented gable and the saw tooth header board along the screened-in front porch. An industrious carpenter, possibly the owner, certainly had an eclectic taste.
This is located near a large farm, so I’m identifying it as a tenant house. Many such residences became rental properties after the sharecropping era and as they became too expensive to modernize, were abandoned. The gable front form was a slight upgrade from the standard shotgun house, affording a little more space for hardworking families who labored nearby. The addition of a canopy over the porch was certainly an improvement.
Fergerson Cemetery was established in 1907. Annie, Minnie, and Alice Fergerson gave the land to the city of Guyton to be used as a “colored” cemetery. There are nearly 500 marked graves. As is the case in many historic African-American cemeteries, there are many unmarked or poorly marked graves, but working with Lucy Powell, Pearl Boynes, Robert Hunter and Michael Garvin of the Fergerson Cemetery Committee, volunteer JoAnn Clarke has helped to document many of them.
Many handmade headstones can be found throughout the cemetery and these are important historical resources. I’ve documented a few random examples. I’ve attempted to edit them to make them more readable. Some turned out better than others.
Maria Dobson (1843-17 April 1934)
Maria Dobson was born in South Carolina, likely enslaved.
Willie Dobson (1878-1903)
Willie Dobson was the son of Maria Dobson (1848-1934).
Annabell McCloud (24 March 1878-4 February 1924)Jimmie C. Griffin (5 September 1890-28 September 1940)
Jimmie C. Griffin was a Mason, indicated by the symbol on his memorial. He was the son of Will Griffin, a native of North Carolina, and Katie Dobson of Guyton. His wife was Amy Griffin.
James Macon (18 January 1881-1 May 1946)
James Macon’s memorial notes that he was a Mason and a deacon of his church.
Annie Eliza Bryant Cross (27 September 1860-23 September 1941)
This memorial appears to have been made by the same craftsman as James Macon’s, in the previous photograph. Though it’s difficult to see, there’s a star at the top. Her mother’s maiden name was Caroline Kent and considering her birthdate, Annie was likely born enslaved.
Beatrice Massey (5 June 1916-20 January 1939)
This marker has design elements in common with the previous two.
Rena Cuthbert (18 August 1889-24 April 1943)
Mrs. Cuthbert’s memorial features a star. This is a common motif in cemeteries, but is more often found in African-American cemeteries.
Claudie Cuthbert (?-18 October 1945)
Claudie Cuthbert was the husband of Rena Cuthbert. He was a deacon of his church and a Mason. This stone features a flower engraving, that’s difficult to see in the photograph.
James Ishmal Sheffield (1862-21 December 1929)
Mr. Sheffield was born to Abraham and Rosa Sheffield, both natives of Bulloch County. Considering the dates, they were probably all enslaved.
Ben Curry (17 December 1853-22 March 1905)
Mr. Curry was likely born into slavery and hopefully his memorial will be raised out of the ground so he won’t be forgotten. Thankfully, volunteers are working to restore all of these endangered markers.
Elgrie Hayes (9 April 1858-13 January 19170
Mr. Hayes was likely born enslaved, as well. Knowing these people’s names and when they lived is something that needs to be documented all over the state. Sadly, many are lost to time, so the surviving records, i.e. burial sites, must be remembered.
Samuel “Pop” Smalls, Sr. (1919-25 September 1997)
In contrast to the many vernacular memorials in Fergerson Cemetery is the crypt of Samuel Smalls, Sr., known as Pop Smalls. He was one of the most prominent members of Effingham County’s African-American community and served on the Guyton City Council. A World War II Navy veteran, he was the owner of Small’s Funeral Home and was involved in numerous social and civic organizations.
This Plantation Plain House is the anchor of an historic farm property that appears to have been abandoned for some time. It may be associated with the Arnsdorff family but that’s just a guess. It looks like it was maintained until somewhat recently, or at least an effort was made to make cosmetic improvements, such as the paint around the doorway.
A large barn is just around the driveway from the house.
Six over six windows are visible from the side of the house and look to be original. Boxed returns on the gables are another design element. Surveys date the house to the 1870s. Photographs before the vegetation got out of hand suggest an attached wing at the rear. The narrowness of the main section could indicate an earlier date.
This is yet another example of the fine Georgian Cottages that were dominant in the Effingham County landscape throughout the late 19th century. As I may have indicated before, they’re locally described as having the “Salzburger Plan”, or simply called Salzburger Cottages. The style is not endemic to Effingham County, of course, but its dominance here gave rise to that particular identification.
I’m particularly fond of these unpainted examples and while I haven’t been able to identify this one, I would guess it dates to the 1870s or 1880s. A real estate index lists it at as 1920, but I think that’s wrong. It’s well-preserved, but its survival can be attributed to good material and carpentry skills. They just don’t build many houses like this today and that’s a shame because they were so simple and so practical.
Seeing a house like this always makes me stop. But this house is a mystery. The main section is the I-house, and the building at the rear was probably a kitchen. There’s an enclosed breezeway which connects the main section to a newer section [barely visible, at right.]
The windows have all been changed, and since they’re a valuable clue, I’m at a loss on that means of dating the house. The boxed returns at the chimney could indicate an antebellum element but I’m more inclined to guess 1870s or 1880s.
Silver Hill Church was originally associated with the Methodists but is now independent. I spoke with a nice gentleman who had been visiting the cemetery here who said the congregation dated to the 1890s and the present structure was built circa 1911, if I’m remembering correctly. He said it was all still original other than the steeple, which is a more recent addition.
I usually find “added” steeples to be tacky or at the least not very well thought out, but this one is particularly nice. The church building itself is an example of the dominant form for rural chapels, a long rectangular box with windows, or bays, corresponding to the depth of the structure. This plain style is a pinnacle of vernacular “design” and serves its purpose so well.
When I was photographing the Mars Theatre before its restoration, about ten years ago, some of the nice folks with the City of Springfield suggested I photograph this property, as it’s considered the most historic farmstead in the county. I believe the referrer was a relative of the family. It’s not a public property but I was lucky to find the road to the farm open. As the sign says, this land was first surveyed in May 1800.
The land was first owned by David Reiser (1765-1836), a descendant of one of the early Salzburger families who came to Effingham County from Austria in 1736. Reiser received a grant of 450 acres from the State of Georgia in 1802. The farm, which grew into plantation with the addition of 150 acres, was inherited by David’s son, Christopher F. Reiser (1813-1884). Christopher and his wife had two sons and thirteen daughters.
One of Christopher’s sons, Virgil Herbert Reiser (1852-1918) purchased 100 acres of the family plantation in 1874 and developed his own farm, which became the present-day Reiser-Zoller Farm. After his marriage to Ella Gnann in 1879, they began living on the property. The small house behind the two-story house was their home originally, and all of their children were born here. The principal crop of the farm was corn but Virgil also raised cattle and hogs, which were floated on timber rafts and sold downriver in Savannah. As more crops were raised and timber cleared, the farm concurrently included a turpentine operation.
Tobacco Barn, Mid-20th century
In 1900, Virgil’s relative, Pierce Edwards, was hired to build the larger farmhouse, needed to accommodate his growing family and farm. Upon Virgil’s death, his son Herbert (1880-1970) inherited the property. He added pecan and grapes, as well as tobacco, and more livestock, to the operation. It continued to grow under his stewardship. Herbert never married, and a nephew, Walter Zoller, became the next owner, and the fifth generation of the family to own the land.
House built by Virgil Reiser in 1875
Such an intact historical farm is rare anywhere and the family’s commitment to its preservation is inspiring. It is of statewide importance as a landmark of agricultural heritage.
This general store faces the railroad tracks in what was the commercial center of the Kildare community of northern Effingham County. Following W. H. White’s death in 1930, his daughter operated the store.
It’s typical of myriad general stores in Georgia, and was built in the practical “shotgun” form, more often associated with houses. It’s quintessential rural Georgia to me, and I’d wager that every one of our 159 counties had at least one place like this in the past. It was easy to build, relatively inexpensive, and served its purpose without fuss or fanfare.
As the iconic photos taken by the WPA and FSA photographers during the Great Depression attest, most of these little stores were covered with tin signs in their heyday. When those signs became valuable, the ones not secured by their owners were stolen.
When I think of Shawnee I think of the Graham and Usher families, and I imagine one of them owned this house, which sits across from the commissary that has become the symbol of the village.
It’s a somewhat rare house type known as a double shotgun. While the lack of windows along most of the side of the house is unappealing today, this was a common practice with utilitarian dwellings. Most of them were rental properties or tenant housing “provided” to employees and since they were already viewed as an added expense by their owners, costs were cut any way they could be. Windows were expensive.
When I photographed this one, in 2015, it was still in relatively good condition. It was overgrown the last time I was in Shawnee.
